


How to Violate the Bro-Code in Three Easy Steps

by Dispatula



Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Because that's what they are, Bisexual Li Dian, Bisexual Yue Jin, Bisexuality, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, I am going to have nightmares about tagging characters' names for this, I can't believe that wasn't a tag already, Idiots in Love, Just Kiss Already You Dumbasses, M/M, Well it is now, but in a way that makes them both worry about it, but without any homophobic/biphobic baggage don't worry, it's just a pair of idiots growing aware of how dense they both are, very strong references to Disaster Bisexuals, very vague references to alcohol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dispatula/pseuds/Dispatula
Summary: At a university reunion party, Yue Jin becomes aware of how little he understands his own feelings. Li Dian does something similar, and Zhang Liao wishes he wasn't the most functional adult of the three.
Relationships: Lǐ Diǎn/Yuè Jìn
Comments: 9
Kudos: 9





	How to Violate the Bro-Code in Three Easy Steps

**Author's Note:**

> This all came from a couple of silly exchanges between myself and some other peeps on Tumblr aaaages ago. Said exchanges actually have practically nothing to do with this fic in reality, but I have an A.U. now so I'm going to run with it. This is my first time writing fanfic properly in years, and my first time even attempting a modern A.U., so please excuse me if I'm a little rusty. Also, as you may have noticed, I cannot title things to save my life. Sorry about that.

As expected, Yue Jin arrived at the reunion early, in that peculiar niche of his somewhere between endearing enthusiasm and being fully aware of what the hosts had chosen for breakfast that morning. Crossing the threshold into the bar like it was a finish line, he eyed the far end of the room, where a long table bore a few plates of pastries interspersed with bowls of punch. Oddly enough, there seemed to be no people present aside from himself and a lone bartender who did not appear to be doing anything productive, despite the deliberate attempt to suggest otherwise. He checked his watch, and it no longer seemed odd; he exhaled as he added the new entry to his mental leader-board of high scores (probably around fourth or fifth place, he guessed) – 27 minutes. _Not bad_.

Of course, he chastised himself for that particular thought. He had been trying to wean himself from this particular habit, but excitement had bettered him again. To be fair, he mused, this was a special case – nothing as mundane as a staff meeting or a track-and-field contest, and something he had been anticipating for several weeks now. It was striking seeing everything in person, though, now he was here: a banner with years of attendance suspended from the beam over the bar, university colours framed in prints at either end of the larger tables... Yue Jin skipped his fingers over the nearest stack of colour-coded napkins, and felt his brow scrunch. _Had it really been that long_?

“Ah, Wenqian! There you are!” The double-doors to the kitchen swung open.

Perhaps not so long after all. Looking up, Yue Jin was greeted by a shapely swath of silky fabric, from which an intricately manicured hand extended to shake his. He unthinkingly shook it, eyes flicking upward to Zhenji's face, which appeared identical to the last time he'd seen it, some four years ago. She smiled at him, amused.

“Lady Zhen, it's a pleasure to see you again. You look even grander than I remember!” he grinned, already mildly flustered by the serenity of her demeanour. She appeared to preen slightly at his words, evidently pleased.

“I did tell you people would remember, Zhen. You can't outgrow your nickname that quickly.” Lustrous chuckling rounded the kitchen doors as they moved yet again, revealing another visage that presumably deemed the passage of time an entirely optional consideration. Cao Pi looked at Jin, seemed to appraise him without moving his eyes, and hid an entirely different remark about growth behind a disarming half-grin.

“It's wonderful to see you, too, Cao Pi.” Jin laughed, leaning back to fit the entirety of the man's frame into view.

“No title for me, Wenqian? I'm hurt.” his lopsided expression morphed to a full-fledged smirk, as anticipated. Still, Yue Jin faltered all the same, ever unsure of quite how serious he was being. He opened his mouth to apologise, but was quieted by a muffled huff of amusement.

“My dear, there's no need to tease him,” Zhenji chided softly, placing a hand on her husband's arm, “Though I must ask, Wenqian, if your watch is functioning quite as it should.” She gestured with her chin toward a wall-clock that hung over a table at the side of the room, an eyebrow arching questioningly. Yue Jin felt heat creep up his cheeks.

“A-ah, well, I... didn't want to be late.” he managed, taking a moment to scrutinise the sheen of the laminate floor. He resisted the urge to scratch the back of his neck in bashfulness, and instead remade eye contact with Zhenji, whose eyes were crinkling faintly at the corners.

“That is a good aim to have,” Zhenji replied, head tilted impassively, “Though I'm not entirely sure you needed to beat us here. We are the hosts, after all.” Yue Jin's face started to venture into strawberry territory, and once more the polished wood beneath his feet became hard to draw his eyes away from.

“Zhen, you are _incorrigible!_ ” Cao Pi snorted, moving his arm from under her hand to across the small of her back, before he pulled her into his side, crumpling his brow at her placid expression. She broke from her examination of Yue Jin's powerful blush, and blinked up at him, deliberately and slowly, feigning innocence. Sighing, Cao Pi rolled his eyes, and grimaced exaggeratedly at Yue Jin.

“Please excuse my wife, Wenqian. She just can't help herself.” He gave her a squeeze to emphasise his point. Yue Jin let out a dry laugh, and scuffed one foot as he did so.

“It's no problem. Really.” he offered, eyes flicking from the floorboards to the friends in front of him. They were exactly the same as he remembered them; practically a single unit, despite occasional suggestions to the contrary, and just keen enough on physical contact with one another that he entertained the barest thought that their behaviour was, perhaps, performative in some way. Nonetheless, it was reassuring to know that the two were consistent, at the very least.

The evening began as expected, and proceeded as such – alumni filed in, made conversation that was for the most part too stilted for the venue, partook in duels of one-ups and humble brags, and generally reasserted the hierarchy from when all involved were a little too young to understand the effects their bickering might have. Somewhere around the suburbs of the throng, Yue Jin busied himself with a pint of something distinctly forgettable, trying to catch glances of the door and not empathise with his drink too much.

Truth be told, like most people here, his reasons for attending were both nebulous and specific all at once. He'd hoped to not feel so out-of-place, but at the same it would have been nice if _someone_ had actually come up to say hello.

“Don't tell me you're considering standing on a stool, like last time?” A half-chuckle came from behind him, and Yue Jin nearly toppled over in surprise, despite being seated. He turned, flustered, and sighed heavily as he met the eyes of Zhang Liao.

“Wenyuan.” he allowed a small pause to pass between the two of them, then cracked a grin that had been threatening his teeth all along, “No, I was planning nothing of the sort.” Zhang Liao shook his head, smiling broadly.

“Well, that's good. I'd hate for you to have to explain another broken arm to Mancheng. He was confused enough before.” He slapped Yue Jin on the arm companionably, then turned to the barman and ordered himself a drink. Yue Jin regarded him absently, his mind wandering for a moment.

“Is Li Dian here?” he asked, his surroundings eventually coming back into focus as Zhang Liao made eye contact again. His companion grunted, shrugging one shoulder, then flicked his gaze to the back of the bar.

“Not yet, I don't think. He's been held up at work, I gather.”

Ah, yes; work. It certainly wasn't a surprise to Yue Jin to learn that his friend had been scouted by some up-and-coming financial firm, though he had been confused as to why he'd accepted it. Monetary gain was not something he'd ever considered particularly within Li Dian's purview, but to be frank, he'd never thought to ask. He'd seemed pleased about it when he broke the news of his employment some year or so ago, though, so it's not like it mattered much.

“It is strange that he's still there, I agree.” Zhang Liao said, and with a moment of confusion Yue Jin realised he must have been frowning, “but we're hardly ones to talk.”

Yue Jin curled his lips, and conceded with a nod. If there was anything to be learned about the job market that he hadn't been taught, it was that finding where you wanted to be within it was often a surprising experience. He appraised Zhang Liao's suit, so comfortably worn it could be a second skin to him – it both made all the sense in the world and none whatsoever to imagine his friends with lives that didn't revolve around class timetables, trying to avoid making a fool of themselves at parties, and cramming as many late-night videogame binges into their time as humanly possible.

“How is lawyering treating you, by the way? Since you brought it up.” he ventured, and watched with mild amusement as Zhang Liao reflexively straightened his cuffs, stiffening his back.

“Going rather well, actually. It seems I'm more fond of arguing with people than I originally thought.”

Yue Jin snickered, “I see. Using your glares to full effect, I suppose?” For a moment Zhang Liao looked as though he'd been accused of cheating, and Yue Jin broke out in a laugh, drawing the attention of the nearest couple of bystanders.

“I'm not that intimidating,” Zhang Liao defended, rubbing a line in the side of his glass as it appeared on the bar.

“Says the guy who sneezed behind a first-year and made her cry.” he pressed, leaning in almost conspiratorially. Zhang Liao crossed his free arm over himself, and huffed.

“It was exam season. We were all on edge.” Despite the accuracy of his statement, Yue Jin maintained his expression for a moment longer, before relenting with a snicker. He was right, of course, but he wasn't about to admit that he'd nearly cried himself during the event in question. Laughter didn't quite count, did it?

Clearing his throat, Zhang Liao attempted to change the subject, sipping his beverage with determination. “Speaking of jobs,” he clapped a hand against the bar in a form of non-verbal punctuation, and pointed at Yue Jin, “I have to know. Do they really call you _Sir_?” Yue Jin scoffed, but barely.

“...Mostly.” Now was Zhang Liao's turn to draw attention with a tad-too-loud guffaw, and Yue Jin occupied his hands with a beermat, as if that would make the pair of them less visible. He tried his best to not look sheepish as his friend pulled himself back down from the heights of laughter.

“Sorry, sorry. It is a given that students assign their teachers some... imaginative nicknames, of course. I'm sure you're doing just fine.” Yue Jin fought the urge to palm the back of his neck- successfully, this time. He averted his eyes instead.

“Heh, thanks. I think it's going okay.” Zhang Liao nodded, and encouraged him to continue with a wave of his hand, “They seem to be engaging with sport more than when the year started, so I'm counting that as a success.”

Despite his efforts to the contrary, Yue Jin's ears tuned out his friend's reply as he picked up on an odd smudge of movement in his peripheral vision. Dark hair, undoubtedly, but not moving in sync with the small throngs of people: rather, its erratic bobbing and sidling suggested that it was instead trying to--

“ _Ah!_ Wenqian!”

\--move through them. Li Dian waved, having apparently found what he was looking for. Yue Jin beamed before he knew it, and stood up. He wasn't quite sure why, but it seemed reasonable enough once his friend made it past a notably belligerent duo of gossipers, stretching himself out to pre-empt a hug.

As his hands met one another across Li Dian's back, Yue Jin was immediately struck by how soft he was. Well, his suit, anyway- er, blazer, technically? It didn't really matter, but it was supple and pleasant as it moved under his fingers. Relaxing. Warm.

Hang on, was he-?

“It's great to see you, Mancheng. How have you been?” Yue Jin greeted, recoiling. It appeared that he didn't sound too rushed, as Li Dian's face remained unaltered from its wide-eyed grin.

“Good! Yeah, I've been good. It's great to see you, too.” he supplied, moving his hands up to Yue Jin's shoulders as they parted. There was a moment where it seemed almost as if he was going to move into another hug, but then his hands were gone, in place at his sides. Yue Jin took a step back, then signalled to the gap between him and Zhang Liao, shuffling over sideways as if it provided any increase in standing space. Li Dian appreciated the gesture, and gratefully slipped in between them.

As Yue Jin had just found out, Li Dian was wearing something rather... expensive, probably? His best guess was that it was made from one of those hard-to-find wools, which he'd previously had no desire to know the name of. It looked very comfortable, either way, because it tapered with his friend's body in a way that run-of-the-mill clothes tended not to on him. It swept a smooth, clean line down to his hips, meeting a similarly well fitted pair of trousers, and Yue Jin decided he cut a rather dashing figure, even as he shuffled in the too-small space between people and wooden furniture. Tailored clothes suited him very well, and Yue Jin found himself oddly pleased to have found that out. It was certainly nice to look at-- er, _see_.

“Mancheng.” Zhang Liao nodded cheerfully, and Li Dian reciprocated. The two bumped shoulders, probably at least half deliberately. They certainly didn't mind, either way, and Yue Jin enjoyed the sight as another drink was ordered, and Li Dian sunk into his shoulders, as all people over a certain height seem able to do, to dip into the conversation.

“So, what did I miss?” he asked, looking pointedly around the room and propping himself up with his elbows on the bar. Yue Jin responded with a light shrug, and took a swig of his drink.

“Not much, as far as I can tell,” Zhang Liao provided, making Li Dian turn, “Though everybody seems to be getting engaged these days.” Li Dian's brows furrowed slightly, and Yue Jin felt a prediction coming on.

“I do wonder how it'll turn out for them all...” he said doubtfully, choosing not to outright voice his concern, ever the diplomat. He glanced down at his hands for an instant, then looked back up again, as if startled by his own thoughts, “That's not to say that, uhh, if either of you two-”

“Relax, Mancheng. There are no knots to be tied here.” Zhang Liao laughed, looking pointedly at Yue Jin, “Right?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. W-well, no. Obviously.” He'd been looking at Li Dian's hands too, for some reason. He blinked himself back up to speed and smiled lopsidedly. Both of his friends were regarding him oddly.

“Are you sure about that, Wenqian?” there was the hint of a smirk about Zhang Liao's features. Yue Jin nodded vigorously.

“Yes! Yes, I'm sure.” he insisted, shifting in place. “I was just thinking that it's a little strange to see everyone making so much... _progress_ , you know?” Despite not being wholly aware of what he was going to say before he said it, he had to admit he'd made a good point. Thusly, he continued, “I mean, it feels like only weeks ago that we were, well...” his new line of discussion ran of of steam prematurely, and he moved his hand vaguely in the direction of his two friends to try and waft it onwards. He set his mouth into a straight line, seeking assistance.

“Innocent?” Li Dian said, his expression decidedly implicative.

Yue Jin floundered in his eye contact for several moments, then finally shut his mouth again, looking away.

“Y-yeah, sort of.” For some reason, his face felt warm, and he was suddenly aware of how little room there was between him and the bar – and Li Dian, for that matter. The dented wood was persistent against his ribs, but he paid it no mind. His drink had suddenly become fascinating.

Zhang Liao cleared his throat, and then the world was back in focus. “It does seem like very little has changed, all things considered.” Yue Jin risked a glance toward him, but was intercepted by Li Dian in the process, with a look on his face that Yue Jin struggled to identify. Why was he _still_ looking at him? And why was he smiling like _that_?

The moment hollowed out, then stretched as a thought struck Yue Jin in the back of his brain like a hailstone on glass. Li Dian wasn't the one acting out of sorts, he realised- he often smiled a little longer than other people seemed to, at least when directing it toward him. The issue was how he _felt_ about it, though his second thoughts recoiled at the notion of using such a strong word. He was blushing, though that wasn't surprising, since he was an easy person to fluster, as he'd learnt from years of cramming for exams in tiny dorm rooms with the door closed and nothing to look at besides text books and his study partner, who keeps sending him little encouraging grins and making his face flush with how it was so... so...

Hmm. He had studied with Li Dian a lot, hadn't he? In fact, he'd not really ever studied with anyone else. In the same room sometimes, sure, but not... _with_. Li Dian's smile finally relented, and he shifted to say something to Zhang Liao. Yue Jin heard none of it, now trying to concentrate on the disconcerted rambling of his thoughts, which was growing steadily to a crescendo. It sounded like it was connecting various dots together, but all he was really aware of was the sensation of prickling up and down his arm, like the muffled sound of hail under his skin.

Ah, his arm was numb. He moved to shift it from where he leaned against the bar, only to find a hand on it. On his arm. He glanced up, his head screaming in confusion, and Li Dian was looking back at him again, his brow creased.

“Hey,” he said quietly, or at least muted over the roar in Yue Jin's ears, “Are you okay?” The hand on his arm shifted, giving it a little tentative squeeze, and the tingling redoubled itself until he was sure it was glowing with the energy of it.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Yue Jin croaked, and was definitely _not_ fine. Not in the slightest. His arm was buzzing because it was numb, and not because of Li Dian touching it. That _had_ to be it. After all, he hadn't even been aware that--

“If this is getting to be too much for you, we can go outside.” Li Dian murmured, leaning closer now. Yue Jin could barely hear anything over his frankly eccentric heart rate, let alone see beyond his friend's face as it eclipsed his view, “We don't have to stay like this if you're uncomfortable.”

Yue Jin blinked, then balked as he found Li Dian answering several questions he hadn't asked yet. Or knew he needed to ask. Or even knew existed until maybe three seconds ago. He swallowed thickly, unable to look away.

“I-I'm okay.” he nodded, making his peripheral vision swim, “I'll be fine. Thanks.” He was looking at the wrong part of Li Dian's face now, and that was a problem. He forced himself to turn away, suddenly aware of how dry his own lips were, and smiled weakly. The grip on his forearm softened, and then pulled away slowly. Blessedly, Yue Jin stopped himself from squirming at the feeling.

“If you're sure.” Li Dian said, his voice lightly basted in resignation. Yue Jin nodded again, trying not to feel guilty for making things weird all of a sudden. He wrested his brain from his current state of embarrassment as best he could, and stared holes into the bottom of his pint glass, determined to not think about this again for as long as possible.

* * *

To his credit, Yue Jin managed to go a considerable length of time without straying back into uncomfortable territory. However, his nature was to fiddle and pick at things until they either broke or bled, so after an hour-and-a-half or so, he was back to his metaphorical corner, wedged against his mental brickwork and staring down a visitor that he would have to let in eventually.

Throughout the evening, nothing particularly remarkable had happened. They'd discussed work, touching on the subject of promotions for a mite too long to be polite (judging by the look on Zhang Liao's face, anyway), and then settled back into the groove they usually occupied- sharing stories all three of them had heard many times before but were too polite to point out the embellishments of, and people watching. At some point there'd been a call for people to start dancing, punctuated by the bar's speakers tossing out-of-date pop music at everyone's eardrums. The three had stayed graciously at the bar, instead settling to make idle comments about other people's sense of rhythm. Ah, nostalgia.

Yue Jin was tapping his foot in an attempt to seem involved, the subtle movement causing the bar to press the groove into the small of his back. Moving was certainly a logical option, for comfort's sake, but he wasn't taking it. There was a slight divot in the wood behind him, and he was quite content to stay in it. He didn't feel a need not to.

He was nudged to one side as Li Dian moved, clapping and laughing at the makeshift dancefloor that had been cleared in the middle of the room: Guo Jia, despite his doubtless alcoholic handicap, had successfully managed to sneak up on and then dip Jia Xu, who was trying not to burst into hysterics himself. Yue Jin snorted, and then wasn't looking at them anymore. There was a pressure on his shoulder where Li Dian had propped himself up next to him, tilting backwards and sliding his arms out along the bar in either direction. He was just stretching, but Yue Jin couldn't help but be hyperaware of how close one hand was to the small of his back, certain that his face was as red as some of the more questionable fashion choices in the room.

He was trying not to think too much about clothes, to be honest. There had been multiple occasions where he'd caught himself watching how Li Dian's jacket folded at the elbows, proving how supple the material was in a few crests and waves. They were shaped enough to show that the arms inside them had shape, too, and Yue Jin tried not to think too long on what that entailed. It was obvious that Li Dian had at least partially conquered his dislike of gym equipment since he'd seen him last, either way, and he allowed himself no more time on it than that. Currently his arms weren't even visible, clothed or otherwise, so there was no reason to be distracted. And yet, he still _was_ distracted.

Li Dian's shoulder was butted up against his, and at least one of them was oddly warm, though at this lack-of-distance Yue Jin couldn't tell who. He shifted a little, moving to tap with the other foot before almost immediately regretting the decision. He teetered into full-on contact with Li Dian's side on beat two, and by beat four he felt that arm move from the bar to prop him up at the waist.

"You okay down there?" Li Dian asked, beaming. Thankfully, Yue Jin realised, he seemed unaware of how incredibly _close_ they were. Or perhaps he was simply not making it weird, unlike someone else.

"Yeah." he replied, with less of a word and more of a cough. Li Dian snickered, maintaining eye contact that made Yue Jin's scalp heave.

"If you're sure." he said, lips curled, and Yue Jin couldn't avoid the thought from earlier as it returned in full force.

He really, _really_ wanted to kiss Li Dian.

And, worryingly, nothing about that thought seemed new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't the faintest idea what high school or university reunion parties are like. I did my best to research it, but it seems they're one of those social things that everyone's supposed to have either experienced or decided they couldn't care less about, and thusly I didn't get very far. Have you been to one of these things? Please tell me all the ways in which I'm misinformed about them, so I can revise this chapter at some point if necessary.


End file.
